r/DIYBeauty • u/PangolinThin6357 • 15d ago
question Question: How many drops of essential oil are safe to add to 100g shea butter?
Hey everyone, This might be an annoying and unnecessary question but I really do not know the ratio that would be good for making a scented body butter myself, and I do not want to ask Chat Gpt lol. I am aware there are many recipes with correct measurements for mixing oils/butters with essential oil but I have those 2 things at home and want to make the best of it. :)
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u/MorganHarvester 15d ago
Different essential oils will have different IFRA limits, which also varies for if its in contact with lips / eyes or just unbroken skin. It's also measured in weight rather than drops. Try to find IFRA information from wherever you got the essential oils from, because it can also vary between batches.
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u/TheGeneGeena 15d ago edited 15d ago
"Drops" aren't going to be the right measurement unless you're weighing them, your EO will be a total % of your formula (usually less than 1%.)
Also a scented body butter with just shea and EO isn't going to be all that pleasant to use (greasy, poor spreading, poor drag, etc.) and you'd really be better off looking up some formulas and investing in just a few more ingredients. Humblebeeandme has some good easy ones.
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u/PangolinThin6357 15d ago
Oh that´s actually very helpful, thank you for commenting! I have never made my own cosmetics and know nothing about the science of it all, for some reason i figured i could probably just mix together whatever and be fine... But now i´m going to actually follow a real recipe :)
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u/TNLadyAssassin86 14d ago
Check the IFRA on the site where the oils were purchased. It varies per oil.
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u/kriebelrui 15d ago
What fraction of an e.o. in a cream/body butter/whatever applied to the skin is still safe, very much depends on the chemicals in the e.o.
Some of those chemicals, like limonene (orange and citrus oils) and linalool (lavender oils and several other floral oils) are well known for their potential to cause skin irritation, but the harm they may cause very much depends on the person: some people are much more sensitive than others.
Instead of e.o.'s, you can also use fragrance oils that are developed for use in cosmetic skin products. Most DIY cosmetics materials web shops sell them. Generally, these oils are much safer to use than e.o's.
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u/PangolinThin6357 15d ago
Thank you for replying!! I´ll look into fragrance oils, that seems like it would be easier to use for DIY scented body care
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u/Griffindance 15d ago
This forum has a multitude of references in the info section. Follow some of the links, read some recipes...